Dixon Family Camp 2009

Our Dixon Family Camp was held at the Eight Mile Guard Station, about 11 miles southwest of Soda Springs. It was a really nice facility. It had lots of grass for pitching tents, a cabin with a kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom with a flush toilet and shower.

Shaunna and Eric planned the reunion this year and the theme was pioneers. We all arrived throughout the day on Thursday, pitched tents, roasted hot dogs for dinner and visited and played.

Friday was pioneer day and we were scheduled to go to Paris, Idaho for a little handcart trek and a program with dancing, singing, and pioneer stories. We woke up that morning to rain and worry. Steve woke up with severe pain in his lower back on the left side and was pretty sure it was a kidney stone. He's never had one before, but it was the worst pain he'd ever had, and hurt so bad he couldn't hold still. Dad and David gave him a priesthood blessing, and I took him to the hospital in Soda Springs. The doctor said that being the "worst pain on God's green earth", it would definitely be a kidney stone. They took his vitals, put in an IV, and got him some medicine to help with the pain. They took him back for a CT scan to make sure that's what was going on, and then gave him some heavier drugs. After a while, he was resting. It was such a relief. I hated seeing him like that, and felt so helpless knowing I couldn't do anything to take away the pain.

I sat there watching him rest and thinking about how grateful I was. Grateful that we were only 11 miles away from a hospital, grateful that the storm wasn't too bad for travel, grateful for modern medicine, grateful that my brother and dad could give him a blessing, grateful for a family that would just take over and comfort my worried children, grateful for a Father in Heaven that I knew was listening to my silent prayers, and grateful to have Steve in my life.

Through the scan, they discovered that he did have a kidney stone, but that it had already passed from his kidney into the ureter and the worst pain was over. After three bags of IV fluid, he went to the bathroom and they sent us back to camp with three prescriptions and orders to drink lots of Gatorade and rest. By 5:00, we were back at camp (at Steve's insistence). Everyone was so glad to see him, most especially the kids. They told us all about their pioneer program and that the trek had been canceled, so they went to the ice caves instead. (I'll post some pictures later, when I get them from my sister.) Sounds like they had a fun day. Later that evening we learned how to make homemade rope, and played jump rope together. I laughed like a child again. It's been a very long time since I've done that! We also had a stick pull, and I discovered (but wasn't very surprised) that my little sister is stronger than me.

Steve was pretty wiped out the whole weekend, but insisted that he was okay and not about to "ruin" the rest of our trip. So, Saturday we headed to Bear Lake to play in the sand and water. That's one of the kids' favorite places to go. We all had a ball. We had a picnic lunch, collected shells, built a great sand castle, took a nap, read, played in very cold water, and made lots of great memories.


Sunday we stayed in camp for the day. The children played some pioneer games and made a pioneer yo-yo. I taught a little "Primary" lesson to the children and we shared stories of their own ancestors. We talked about how they can be modern-day pioneers by leading the way for others to follow through their courage, good decisions and example. With the adults, Valarie shared the story of the Martin Handcart company's rescue and David talked about how we wouldn't have the pioneers' stories if they hadn't written them down. He then asked us to share stories from our own life history. It was great to hear others' thoughts and nice to remember that our stories of faith and courage strengthened us in our own lives.

Steve was gone part of the day, traveling to Soda Springs and then to Pocatello to get parts for a trailer we borrowed from some friends for our trip. The bearings went out on the wheels on our way there. He had planned to get it fixed Friday, but his kidney had other plans for him that day. So, Sunday he went up to Soda to see if anyone could direct him to a place to leave the axle with a note and plans to return Monday morning to pick it up. The lady he asked in the gas station said her son was a mechanic and she called him. He said he'd be happy to help and that if Steve could go pick up the parts from his friend in Pocatello, he could get it fixed for us before we left Monday morning. On his way back, Steve felt like he needed to give the guy a call, and he told him to just come by his house right then and he'd fix it for him. Through the process, Steve found out that this guy was a father of young children, living at his mom's, back in school, and very low on money. It's always amazing to me to see how God works things out to benefit all of His children. As Steve said, it was a weekend full of "tender mercies". I also thought it was a weekend of reflection and gratitude.

It was sad to have to pack up and come home on Monday. Our annual Dixon Family Camp weekends always seem to go way too fast. But, we're still glad to be back home, clean, and rested. Mostly though, we're grateful that our daddy's feeling better.

Grandma & Grandpa's Cousins Campout

Every summer, my mother strives to be nominated "Best Grandma in the World" and holds a Cousins' Campout for all of her grandchildren. She started when Sarah and Rachel were small, and their two cousins their age, Shannon and Justin, were the only ones that could go. (Her rule is that the kids have to be potty-trained to come.) Mom and Dad used to take them to Bear Lake or Scout Mountain, and actually camp, but after being rained out several years in a row and having the attendee numbers grow to seventeen, Mom has had to simplify. So, now all the kids camp out at Grandma and Grandpa's, play together, do a craft, and play in the water. Her hope is that the plaque in her basement surrounded by the kids' pictures that reads "Cousins: Forever Friends" will hold true as all these sweet Dixon grandchildren build great bonds and memories through the years.

This year, all five of our kids got to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's. Steve and I had a glorious night together with dinner, a movie, no kids to put to bed or wake us up the morning, and no babysitter to con or pay for our "vacation"! It was definitely as much fun for us as the kids!

Scenic River Classic: The Day of the Race

Development Workshop, Inc. in Idaho Falls holds the Scenic River Classic each year to raise money for their programs. My dad works there, and because he's always bragging about his kids and their abilities, he told them I would submit some t-shirt logos to the company to use for the race. I did, and after some adjustments, here's what they used for the t-shirts. I'm glad my dad is so proud of my abilities. I wouldn't very often volunteer to do that kind of thing without his "nudging".

I walked the 5K with my mom and dad, my brother David ran the 10K, and Byrson, Josh and Kyle (David's son) ran the Kids' 1-Mile. I came in just under an hour, rounding the corner to the finish line the same time David did. It was interesting to learn that he runs exactly twice as fast as I walk. It's a beautiful course, around the Greenbelt (the river and waterfall area) by the temple. The kids' run was at a nearby park. Steve brought Sarah and Nathan up to Idaho Falls to watch and cheer us on.

Bryson heading for the finish line

Joshua finishing his race

Me and my cute little runners

After the races, they give out free slabs of Great Harvest bread and Farr's ice cream cones. Bryson wore his medal all day with such pride. It was really cute. It was one of those days that you go to bed feeling good that you did something to help. I hope we can afford for more of our family to participate next year.

On the way home, we did our usual trip over to feed (and chase) the ducks and geese by the river. Josh saved his free bread slab especially to feed to the birds. Glad they liked it. (Hope whole wheat bread doesn't do weird things to a goose's system.)

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Hilary Weeks performed some really beautiful songs at Time Out for Women. She's so talented. I loved hearing her testimony and some of the stories behind the songs that she shared before she sang for us. She also has a great sense of humor, and knows just what moms need to hear to make them feel like they're not alone in their mothering. She sang some funny little songs about laundry and teenagers, but this one I found as I was re-watching them. It made me laugh so hard! It's so very...me!! (You'll want to pause the blog music player so you can hear it.)

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Princess!

My first child has turned sixteen. Can this beautiful young woman be the very baby I held in my arms for the first time sixteen years ago? I think not. It's just not possible.

Because her birthday happened to be the day before youth conference, and I was running around crazy, she got all dolled up and went out on her very first date with her daddy to celebrate. I think we'll make that a tradition and we'll let the boys take me out! Rachel helped her spiral curl her hair, and after a few pictures, they were off to dinner at Remo's.

They had a wonderful time together, and Sarah came home "stuffed" and holding a beautiful piece of complimentary birthday cheesecake. She's always been her daddy's little girl, so it was just so great for them to spend some alone time together on her special day.

Somehow, she managed to drag her "Sweet Sixteen" out for a whole week. Thursday night, Daddy took her out to dinner, Sunday we had a family birthday party to celebrate with dutch oven cobbler (yum!) and the next Thursday night she had a party with about 16 of her friends. During that week, she was often heard using the excuse, "but it's my birthday" and at least once a day, she told Nathan to give her a "birthday kiss", and he always obeyed.

She had a great time at her birthday party. We reserved the church (not enough room in our living room) and they ate snacks, listened to music (a special playlist created by Rachel just for Sarah), played games, watched a movie, and just hung out. A couple of friends from out of town were able to be there, and some of her favorite boys came, too. (O0o0-la-laaa!) She must have had a really good time because she hugged and thanked me and Steve for days afterward, saying it was just perfect. After all the joy and love she's brought us over the last sixteen years, I guess it was worth throwing a party and hanging out in the kitchen at the church for a few hours for our little princess!

The Graduate

Well, child #4 has officially graduated from kindergarten and is now a big 1st Grader! He's very excited that he'll go to school all day next year. (Is it bad for mom to be excited, too?) The kindergartners all marched in with "Pomp and Circumstance" and lined up on the risers. They had a really cute program where the kids recited their class poem and sang some songs. They were so adorable. Following the program, a few words from their teacher and principal, the kids were awarded their "diplomas" and walked back down to sit with their families. Then, they showed a DVD the teacher had made for each of them with pictures from the whole year set to music. What a fun reminder of a great year for all of them. They served some snacks and gradation cake afterward.

I missed when they read his name, but the smile
at the end of this video is classic Josh and so precious!

It's been a great year. Joshua had 17 other boys and 6 girls in his class. His teacher said she was a little intimidated at first. (I would have been, too!) She said it's been different for her this year, and she had to change some of her units to keep the boys' interest more, but she said they were a great group of kids that loved learning and she loved teaching them. Josh has learned so much in his class this year, and has absolutely loved school and his teacher.

Joshua and Mrs. Turpin
(He called her "Mrs. Turban" most of the year.)

Youth Conference - Mighty Miracles

I apologize ahead of time that this post is so long. It was such an amazing weekend, I couldn't cut any more details out!!

The greatest thing about being the Stake Young Women President is working with the "cream of the crop" youth from each ward to plan and execute a stake youth conference. I spend so much time working with these kids, I end up loving them and wanting to just adopt them! They are so amazing!

Our theme this year was based on this year's mutual theme and Pres. Monson's talk, Be Thou an Example. The kids planned a "secret agent" training based on the four codes of conduct found in the talk. "You have a heritage; honor it. You will meet temptation; withstand it. You know the truth; live it. You have a testimony; share it." We spent about 2 1/2 hours on each of these codes of conduct with activities that would allow their testimonies to grow. At the end of each group of activities, the group leader did a little tie together lesson and explained how these activities would apply to their lives.

The heritage group played a laser web game where twine was wrapped around trees to create a "web" and the kids had to get through it without touching the twine, recover the loot (steal the bacon), a grenade throw (water balloon launch w/towels), archery target practice, and pioneer games like stick pull and potato sack races. As the first group, we had to get some of the "basic training" in, too! The "lasers" were set up so one was easy and one was hard, like following Jesus or Satan. Also, to get to the field, it was roped off and a path was laid out for them to follow. They compared this to obedience to Heavenly Father and our earthly parents, who provide us with the most appropriate and safe path to follow through life.

We had dinner after the heritage activities, and then the Truth group did their part. We played a "Family Feud" style gospel quiz game and there was an awesome speaker, Bro. Chris Fawcett, who was a seminary teacher, former EFY speaker, and son of one of our bishops. (We sure lucked out there.) He started by telling us we were all going on an imaginary trip and told us to write down anything we wanted to know about the trip. As we went through the questions (Where are we going? When will we return? How do we prepare? What will it cost? and so on), he answered them by explaining our Father's glorious plan of happiness. He told us we were going to earth, and expounded on our purposes here and what our Heavenly Father's plan is for us. After that, he had mirrors he passed out, and had us stare at ourselves for a whole minute and then write what we saw. That's where the Spirit touched me the most. Sharing my feelings about my relationship with my Father in Heaven and Savior, even just with myself on paper, made me realize and feel their love so strongly. To close, we sang "I Am a Child of God". I think it was a touching and life-changing experience for several of the kids. The kids went back to their wards and had special time with their bishops and leaders to discuss the things they learned and that touched them that day.

The next morning, after breakfast, the Tempatation group did their part. They did a "mine field" game where the kids had to make their way through an obstacle course just by listening to someone they trust. The guides were all yelling at once, so it was hard to hear the one voice they were supposed to listen to (like parents, leaders, or the Holy Ghost). They played an Iron Rod game, where with each question asked (like, Did you read your scriptures yesterday? Did you say your prayers this morning? Did you thank someone today? etc.) they moved forward or farther aside from the point they were at. This demostrated the things they should be doing in order to have a firm grip and move forward on the iron rod. Another game they played was a string game where they talked about temptations they had to face and how they would deal with them. As each person talked, they threw a ball of yarn and made a "web" of temptations and resolutions that they bounced a ball on.

Our Testimony activity was last. We had a testimony meeting in the lodge and all the kids on the youth council, except maybe a couple, bore testimony of the things we taught and felt that weekend. Several adults and many more kids than I expected also bore their testimonies for over an hour. We heard things like, "I was sitting there thinking about...", and "I really liked how ___ made me think about ___", "I wasn't going to come, but now I'm so grateful that I did", and "now I know that God exists and loves me". Aparently, the things the youth council were inspired to do, caused much reflection and strengthening of testimonies. YEA!

The thing that impressed me the most, though, was the mighty miracles that took place. The strengthening of testimonies, the new resolve of kids that were struggling, the examples that were re-committed, the smiles and involvement of the "I'm not going to do this" kids, the friendships that grew, and the mightiest of all—that God watched over it all, with His blessing.

The rain in Southeast Idaho has hit record highs, and we were really worried about how this would affect our plans, since many of the activities had to be outside. We have a beautiful place, Camp Cumorah, where we had the conference. There is an amazing enclosed lodge for shelter, but the great outdoors was our sleeping place and landscape for the majority of the conference. On our way up there, the rain poured so hard, the mud roads were slippery and we had to slow down to hit the curves safely. The youth council set up in the sprinkling rain, hoping (and praying) that the rain would stop. Just a little while before the wards started arriving, there was a beautiful white cloud showing through a miraculous blue hole in the sky. Within a half hour the whole sky was "sealed" and the rain didn't really come down again until it was all over. About the time we were on our way home again, it seemed that the heavens opened again, and all the rain that was held back fell at once. Again, we slowed down, this time to avoid hitting the other cars on the freeway. The wipers weren't keeping up. It was among the most amazing things I've ever seen. I know that Heavenly Father heard and answered many prayers, and knew that there were glorious things to happen at that Conference, and all had to be in order (including the weather) for those things to take place. He is most definitely aware of us, and most definitely knows what we need, and most definitely, without a doubt, blesses us.

TOFW 2009

Do you ever wonder if something you've committed to give your time to is really what you should be doing? It's one of those good-better-best dilemmas, when you're not sure which good thing is best. I wasn't planning on going to Time Out for Women when it came to Pocatello this time because I had just spent money and left my family for Women's Conference and life looks pretty crazy every weekend in June. But, when I found out that a bunch of my best friends were all going, with my good husband's blessing, I split a ticket with one of them and marked on my calendar to go to TOFW on Saturday. Even up until the night before, though, I wondered if my time would be better spent at home, cleaning house, preparing for Youth Conference, or just being with my family. Although all of those things would have been good things to do, I think the Lord knew that this was something I really needed. I learned so much, was touched by the Spirit, and felt renewed and loved again!

...the certainty that comes when you know life's truths.

There were four speakers on Saturday and Hilary Weeks (one of my favorites) was the musical guest. They were all amazing, but the one talk that touched my heart and caused me to ponder the most was Wendy Ulrich's. Her talk was entitled "Weakness: Your Curse or Your Blessing?" She explained that there is a huge difference between sin and weakness. When she explained the difference and compared the two, I could feel it in my heart that the things she taught were true. I suddenly felt lighter, as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. I know I'm my own harshest judge, but when I do something I know I shouldn't have done, like lose control and yell at my kids, I feel guilty and bad about it way too long after I've tried to repent and make it better. The biggest reason I think I do this is that when I slip and do it again, it makes me feel like I'm not ever improving, or truly repenting of the sin. When Sis. Ulrich explained that weaknesses are inadequacies, predispositions, emotions, temptations, etc. and that we all have them simply because we are mortals, it really made a lot of sense to me. Jesus also had weaknesses because He was mortal, and had to be so He could know how to succor us in our time of need. Although we should be constantly working to rise above them, many of our weaknesses cannot be eliminated in this life. We must be humble and meek. God will make up the difference through His grace and mercy. She said that Heavenly Father really "gets" where we are. He knows the state we are in, or where our hearts are, and offers us grace and forgiveness so we can become more like Him...who we are meant to be. It reminded me yet again, of the love of my Heavenly Father and that He really does bless me with exactly what I need. I pray that through my weaknesses I can become more humble and someday I can be made perfect through Christ, who strengthens me in my weaker moments.

Carnival of Success

The lower grades (1st-3rd) at our charter school have a carnival at the end of each year. It is a reward for hard work and is the culmination of an account and money-based learning experience. About February, they start getting paid carnival bucks for turning in their homework on time, being good citizens, doing extra special things the teachers see them do, and so on. If they make bad choices or do not stay on task, they also may have to pay money back to the teacher. Each week, they add up their bucks, deposit them into their account, record their deposit into a bank book, and start earning again the next week. During the last week of school, they buy tickets for the carnival based on the amount of money they have in their account. It takes a certain number of tickets to just attend the carnival, and the other tickets can be used to purchase treats and play the games. It's a great learning experience for the kids and teaches them responsibility and the rewards of hard work. (Bryson did lots of extra mad minutes to get enough bucks!) They really do earn the privilege of participating in the carnival. It takes a huge amount of work on the teachers' part, the kids bring in donations to help pay for all the prizes and things, and many parent volunteers are also involved. Again, being lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom, and having my high-schooler done for the year, afforded me the opportunity to help and be with my 3rd grader at his carnival again this year. We had to move everything into the school, as the weather didn't really cooperate very well. But, as you can see, we had a really fun time.

Getting a totally cool tattoo

The bouncy castle, slide, and playground all crammed together inside our tiny gym - so fun!

Bryson and I played the "Mr. C Relay" game.
(Mr. Cde Baca is our principal.)
We raced, and I beat the "pants" off him!

Hooray for these wonderful moments of motherhood!

Kindergarten and the Zoo

Not really much difference there....
Okay, Mrs. Turpin's class is a little better organized, and maybe a tad more exciting, but the animals are pretty much the same.

I went to the Pocatello Zoo with Joshua's kindergarten class yesterday. He's such a sweetie. He picked me to be his walking buddy, and I savored the moments we spent together. Our zoo isn't very big and doesn't have a lot of traditional zoo animals. But it's a nice walk, and stocked with animals that are mostly native to Idaho.

We cruised through the whole zoo in less than an hour. I think the kids were anxious to eat lunch together and play at the tree house and on the equipment at Ross Park.

The weather was kind of cool, threatening to rain the whole morning. We got lucky, though. The storm didn't come in until after lunch and almost time to go home.

I love that I have the opportunity to go on field trips and volunteer in my kids' classrooms. I am so grateful I can be a stay-at-home mom so I can do these things with them. It makes me smile to see Josh's face light up when I walk into his classroom, and he just beamed when he announced to his friends that "my mom's commin' with us!" I've decided that irresistible little smile is just one of my mommy pay-checks!

Hooray for Sarah!

Sarah's grades came in the mail today. She worked tirelessly the last few weeks of school to get everything caught up and all her past make-up work in. (With all the zeroes, she had some pretty poor grades for a while.) And guess what? All those hours of hard work and tears really paid off! She pulled out a 3.2 GPA this semester, with more than 30 absences. We're all so thrilled. I know she felt pretty crummy most of the time this year and with the emotional and spiritual struggles that followed the physical ones, I can't imagine the inner fortitude she must have gathered to do so well. (The Parent Push doesn't very often get those results, without the teenager caring quite a lot, too.) So, hooray for Sarah! We're so very proud of her!

Taking the Oath

This morning, Rachel stood with several of her fellow students, and took the "Oath of Office" for a student officer of The Academy at Roosevelt Center. She was elected Student Body Vice-President for the 2009-10 school year (her last and 8th grade year). She's ecstatic. This year's officers seem to be a pretty strong group of kids and their teacher adviser is really excited to see what they can accomplish next year. Ms. Phelps was Rachel's 6th grade teacher... loved and greatly respected by all. Great thing is, she feels the same way about my kid. It makes a mom pretty proud of her beautiful little girl!

Rachel receiving her official binder of procedures and duties

Taking the Oath

With the approval of his daughter, Steve has volunteered to be the parent adviser to the Student Council and work with Ms. Phelps and two other teachers to help these kids be successful leaders of their peers. I think he'll really enjoy it. He already made a hit with the kids at the school. He made "really cool" status when he high-fived all the kids on the way up to receive his adviser binder.

Rachel said her friends are really excited to work with him. It shouldn't make him much busier (he'll probably have early morning or lunch meetings), so I think he'll like being able to volunteer at the school and do something he enjoys. You never know, "Kiddie Politics & Government" might be his new calling in life!

Owl Pellet Dissection

A few weeks ago, Bryson ordered an "Owl Pellet Dissection Kit" from his Scholastic book order at school. He's been so anxious for it to arrive, he was all grins when he brought it home last Wednesday. So cute. The boy, not the pellet. It's a little gross and creepy, but the kid is so very cute. He ceremoniously opened the box, laid everything out on the table and we proceeded to read the instructions. We read all he ever needs to know about owl pellets and how to dissect them and identify the bones.

Do you know what an owl pellet is? Apparently, owls cannot digest the fur and bones of the cute little critters they eat, so it all collects into this nice little pellet that they cough up and drop to the ground. People actually go around collecting them, wrapping them in little foil packets and selling them to kids to meticulously tear apart. Can you say, "EWWWW!"? Well, my cute son that is so intrigued with the insides of critters, especially their bones, thought this was an incredible opportunity. So, we prepped the work area, and away he went!


(See, super cute kid, huh?) He carefully took this thing apart and now has a little container of semi-clean critter bones, complete with a mouse jaw bone a few other great treasures. It took him a couple of hours. He was so happy, it was like heaven for him! I might have to get online and order a few other semi-gross things to use for rewards this summer!

What are we gonna' do?

Ya' know, that's a very good question.... I think we have a plan now, but it seems like an eternity waiting for the doctor to follow through.

We went to visit with Dr. McInturff, our pediatrician, a week or so ago about Bryson's diagnosis and the report from Dr. Christensen. As we talked about Bryson's needs, how he responds to our help and guidance, and what the immediate struggles we face right now with his Asperger's Syndrome are, we began to formulate a plan. First, we talked about the ADD, and that it is most likely a by-product of the AS. His doctor thought that we should hold off on medication, until we try some other things first (Yea... We really weren't comfortable with what to do about that one.) We brought up the possibility of changing his diet, thinking that maybe dyes and chemicals in processed foods may be causing some of those issues for him. His doctor agreed that the more natural and whole the foods are, the better they are for all of us, and said it wouldn't hurt to try that. But because he's already such a tiny, skinny kid, and a pretty picky eater, he cautioned us about taking away too many things he will eat. We decided that because we're so close to summer, and the ADD probably won't be so prevalent when he's not involved in school, he recommeded furter testing and some occupational therapy to help him learn how to deal with the AS issues first: the over-stimulating environmental experiences, texture sensitivity - like scratchy clothes, being able to focus enough to do things he doesn't want to - like reading, memorizing things like his address and phone number, and so on. He also recommended some counseling. When he mentioned this, I kind of chuckled and told him that I thought WE were the ones that needed counseling. Sometimes we feel like we're doing all we know how to do, and it's still not enough. We need to meet with someone who can help us take this stuff to the next level and figure out how to reach and help him when he's having an "AS Moment". He smiled, and told us that that's what he was thinking...that the counseling would have a family spin on it, so it would be able to help him, and at the same time, help us help him. He said he'd contact Dr. Christensen and get those referrals taken care of.

Ahhhh.... Well, it felt good to talk about our next steps, and start a plan in motion, but it was kind of frustrating at the same time. I don't feel like we're much farther than we were a month ago, but I know these things take time. I'd really like to get some serious help this summer so we can see some progress before school starts again. It's just so hard to wait. When it comes to my kids and helping them find success and happiness, I'm really not very patient. I might have to call the docotor tomorrow and see where we're at. And then, most likely, wait again!